“Hey Nansi… you sure you don’t wanna start?”

“Hey Nansi… you sure you don’t wanna start?”

Famous last words – you bet. Those were the last words I said as an able-bodied human being – before blowing my knee big-time on Saturday at the Gryphons Cup.

We won the tip-off and Darren, our point man, brought the ball up the court. I gingerly snuck my way up the left wing, hoping to be open enough when the ball swung my way.

Smelling blood, Darren cut like a knife right through the paint and dished the rock to Zichao on the right baseline, who, after a series of fakes, then swung the ball up to the top of the key again – to me, drifting toward the right wing.

Catching the ball nicely outside the 3-point line, I pump faked my man – who bit – and took 2 dribbles left to the top of the key.

And then I stopped to take a jump shot that never was.

When I gathered myself for the jumper my left knee buckled – I heard, and felt, the sick, horrible sound of ... something giving way in my knee and then hit the ground hard in a quivering mass of agony.

So that’s that. My left knee is a mess – there are ligaments or muscles or meniscus-ey things swollen all over the place. I can’t walk right – I can’t even support my weight standing up.

Fuuuuuck.

Next time, Nansi – you start. I’ll come off the bench... =)